Unit 8: Responsible Tourism Impact Monitoring For Sustainability

UNIT 8. RESPONSIBLE TOURISM IMPACT MONITORING FOR SUSTAINABILITY

Unit outline

ObjectivesBy the end of the unit participants will be able to:• Explain how to apply research skills and analyse

captured data• Explain how to design success criteria and

performance indicators for monitoring and evaluating tour products and services

• Explain how to interpret research output on impacts of tourism products and services

• Explain how to implement principles of continuous improvement in monitoring and product development

Topics1. Overview of

responsible tourism impact monitoring for sustainability

2. Planning & organising a monitoring programme

3. Developing monitoring indicators

4. Implementing , adapting & improving a monitoring programme

TOPIC 1. OVERVIEW OF RESPONSIBLE TOURISM IMPACT MONITORING FOR SUSTAINABILITY

UNIT 8. RESPONSIBLE TOURISM IMPACT MONITORING FOR SUSTAINABILIY

Image source:http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Group_discussion_at_GLAM-Wiki_2013.JPG

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The role and importance of tourism impact monitoring

• Tourism markets and destinations are always changing

• Monitoring is critical for evaluating and managing change

• Monitoring helps:– Improve understanding about the

effects of tourism– Identify where improvement is

needed and where change is occurring

– Enable destinations and businesses to remain competitive

A tourism world without monitoring…

• Without data of tourism conditions and trends that monitoring provides, planners and managers:– Cannot assure stakeholders of the

reliability of their decisions;– Cannot respond to public concerns and criticisms; and– Cannot properly fulfil their responsibilities or judge the

effectiveness of their actions.

• Moreover, if planners and managers do not undertake the monitoring, someone else will – and such monitoring may well be biased

Adapted from: Eagles, P., McCool, S. & Haynes, C. 2002, Sustainable Tourism in Protected Areas: Guidelines for Planning and Management, IUCN Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK

Picture source:http://www.flickr.com/photos/stevendepolo/4605621230/

Key characteristics of responsible tourism impact monitoring for sustainability

4. Involves all key

stakeholders3. Requires SMART target setting

1. Ensures strategic development of tourism

2. Uses responsible tourism objectives

1. Responsible tourism impact monitoring ensures tourism development is strategic

Identifies indicators

Sets targets Promotes effective monitoring

Requires evaluation of results

Fosters adaptation & continuous improvement

2. Responsible tourism impact monitoring ensures sustainable tourism objectives are met

Environmental objectives

Social objectives

Economic objectives

3. Responsible tourism impact monitoring ensures objectives are SMART

SMART OBJECTIVES

Specific Measurable Attainable Realistic Timely

4. Responsible tourism impact monitoring considers the concerns of key stakeholders

Communities

Business

Authorities

Others

The different objectives of stakeholders in monitoring tourism

COMMUNITY MEMBERS

Want to know how tourism is affecting

their livelihoods, culture and

environment

INDUSTRYWant to know

changes in tourism markets and

implications for business growth

NGOsWant to know the

impact of tourism on their particular area

of concern

LOCAL GOVERNMENTS

Want to know how tourism is performing

and how well it contributes to local development goals

NATIONAL GOVERNMENTS

Want to know the economic and social value of tourism and how it contributes to

national development goals

The benefits of responsible tourism impact monitoring

IMPACT MONITORING

BENEFITS

Progress & effectiveness

Decision-making

Accountability

Planning

Policy-making & advocacy

Monitor tourism impacts because prevention and early intervention is always better than cure!

In tourism, symptoms of negative impacts can be gradual…

After a negative impact has been identified opportunities to manage become more limited…

…and problems can be difficult to spot.

…and in many cases returning to the original state can be impossible

“Gosh where did all these tourists come

from?I don’t remember seeing so many a few years ago!”

“I thought we were able to handle all the

tourists unit I saw some kids acting like

foreigners and it occurred to me just

how much our culture has changed!”

“When we started running tours to the nearby cave some tourists damaged the beautiful rock formations. Now we have lost them

forever”

“We really have too many tourists here but with so many businesses now

depending on them reducing the volume

would never be supported”

Implementing a responsible tourism impact monitoring programme of sustainability

PLANNING & ORGANISING A MONITORING PROGRAMME

• Establish a monitoring steering committee or group

• Plan a monitoring programme

DEVELOPING MONITORING INDICATORS

• Review existing indicators

• Shortlist and select indicators

IMPLEMENTING A MONITORING PROGRAMME

• Evaluate feasibility and data collection methods

• Collect and analyse data

• Communicate and report results

ADAPTING & IMPROVING THE

MONITORING PROGRAMME

Learn and adapt from wins and losses

TOPIC 3 TOPIC 4TOPIC 2

TOPIC 2. PLANNING AND ORGANISINGA MONITORING PROGRAMME


Preparing for a tourism impact monitoring programme of sustainability

1. Establish a tourism monitoring steering committee

or group2. Plan the tourism

monitoring programme of sustainability

1. Establishing a monitoring steering committee or group

Who has the leadership to drive & co-

ordinate the programme?

Who has the skills to review and adjust the programme?

Who has networks to disseminate

results?

Who has the knowledge to

develop programme objectives and areas

of focus?

Who has the resources to

implement the programme?

Picture source: Pixabay, http://pixabay.com/

Involve stakeholders according to where they fit best into the monitoring process

PLANNING PHASE

DEVELOPMENT PHASE

DATA COLLECTION PHASE

IMPLEMENTATION PHASE

Local officials, planners, development consultants,

donor agencies, community groups

Community members for assessment of key issues

and indicators

Community members and tourism industry representatives

Multi-stakeholder group

Stakeholder groups to consider in tourism monitoring programmes

PUBLIC SECTOR

• Municipal authorities• Regional authorities• National, state, province, and

county departments & ministries responsible for tourism

• Other ministries & agencies in areas affecting tourism (e.g. environment, health)

• Agencies with an interest in the planning or maintenance of specific attractions

PRIVATE SECTOR

• Private sector entrepreneurs and employees

• Tour operators and travel agencies

• Accommodation, restaurants and attractions, and entertainment facilities

• Air, road, sea and river transportation services

• Guides, interpreters, information providers and outfitters

• Suppliers to the industry• Tourism and trade organisations• Business development

organisations

NGOS & OTHERS

• Environmental and conservation groups

• Other interest groups (hunters, fishermen and sports/adventure associations)

• Communities and local community groups

• Native and cultural groups• Traditional leaders• Tourists and organisations

representing tourists in their origin country

• International tourism bodies

Source: Adapted from Miller, G & Twining Ward L. 2005, Montioring for a sustainable tourism transition: The Challenge of developing and using indicators, Cabi Publishing

2. Planning a tourism impacts monitoring programme of sustainability

• Important that the monitoring programme clearly understands its need, purpose and scope before starting work

• Key requirements include:

A. Agreement on need

B. Good co-ordination

C. Set vision, goals and objectives

D. Consensus on what will

be monitored

A. Agreeing on the need for a tourism impacts monitoring programme of sustainability

What? Destination stakeholders need to understand importance of tourism impacts monitoring

Why? To create ownership, facilitate support and gain participation

How? Stakeholder meeting with full representation

B. Establishing effective co-ordination of the tourism impacts monitoring programme

• Invite members with knowledge and skills required

• Agree on leadership position or examine other options

• Ensure structure meets the needs of the tasks, members and stakeholder groups

• Ensure structure is inclusive, accountable and transparent but also effective

• Consider need for additional structural components according to collaboration size

• Determine functioning rules

C. Setting the objectives for a tourism impacts monitoring programme

• Objectives define the vision for sustainability and the contribution of tourism in achieving it

• Development process allows stakeholders to identify their expectations from tourism and consider how they might be met

• All goals should follow SMART principles

GOALS What we hope to achieve

OBJECTIVES How we will

achieve it

Example of tourism sustainability goals and objectives

GOAL OBJECTIVE

To contribute to poverty alleviation in XX village

• Reduce the proportion of people living below the poverty line to less than 10% in 5 years• Increase the number of people employed in tourism by 25% in 3 years

To encourage extensive local participation in community-based tourism

• Ensure 100% households have access to running water in 2 years

• To increase the number and range of community members attending planning meetings

To improve the situation for women in XX village

• To increase the number of opportunities for involving stakeholders in CBT

• Increase the number of women involved in tourism planning to 50% or more of all those residents involved• Increase the number of women entrepreneurs working in tourism

• Increase the proportion of women in supervisory positions to 25% or more

Source: SNV Vietnam & the University of Hawaii, School of Travel Industry Management 2007, A Toolkit for Monitoring and Managing Community-based Tourism, SNV Vietnam & the University of Hawaii, USA

Our goal How we will achieve it (SMART)

D. Identifying the scope of the tourism sustainability monitoring programme

• Scope refers to the “boundaries” of the monitoring programme

• Can be geographical (location) as well as subject related (issues and / or assets)

• Boundaries may be predetermined or unset

If geographic boundaries are not set, then they should consider:• Wide geographic

sampling• Priority zones• Both high and low

visitation areas

Example of scopes of study in a tourism monitoring programme of sustainability

Geographical scope

Socio-cultural issues

Economic issues

Environ-mental issuesVILLAGE


Economic issues

Environ-mental issues

TOWN


Economic issues

Environ-mental issues

REGION

Subject relatedscope

Examples of key issues to consider when scoping tourism sustainability

Gender equity & social inclusion• Family well-being, equal employment

opportunities, gender roles in traditional communities, access to loans and credit, control over tourism-related income

Poverty reduction / economic development• Income, employment,

entrepreneurship, quality of life

Capacity development• Tourism awareness, tourism business

training, local control of tourism operations, participation in local governance

Environmental protection• Waste management, energy use and

carbon emissions, access to water, biodiversity protection, protection from natural disasters

Cultural preservation and promotion• Preservation of traditions and values,

maintenance of cultural significance and meaning, maintenance of cultural heritage sites

Social gains• Quality of life, crime, access to

resources, access to heath care, access to education, limitation of rural to urban migration

TOPIC 3. DEVELOPINGMONITORING INDICATORS


Picture source: Pixabay, http://pixabay.com/

The role and importance of sustainability indicators in monitoring tourism impacts

• An “indication” of the state of a particular issue

• Formally selected and used on a regular basis to measure changes

• Conventional tourism indicators include arrival numbers, length of stay, and expenditure

• Sustainable tourism indicators focus on the link between tourism and sustainability issues

FOCUS OF INDICATORS FOR MONITORING SUSTAINABLE

TOURISM• Issues concerning the

natural resources and environment of a destination

• Concerns relating to economic sustainability

• Issues relating to cultural assets and social values

• Broad organisation and management issues within the tourism sector and broader destination

The focus of indicators at different levels in the tourism sector

National level

• To detect broad changes in tourism at the national level, compare with other nations, provide a baseline for the identification of changes at more localized levels and support broad level strategic planning

Regional level• As input into regional plans and protection processes, to

serve as a basis for comparison between regions and to provide information for national level planning processes

Destination level• To identify key elements of assets, state of the tourism

sector, risks, and performance

Tourist site level• For decisions on site control, management and future

development of tourist attractions where management level indicators can support site planning and control

Tourism companies & establishments

• To feed strategic planning process for destinations, To monitor the impact and performance of their operation

Source: World Tourism Organization 2004, Indicators of Sustainable Development for Tourism Destinations: A Guidebook, World Tourism Organisation, Madrid, Spain

Types of indicators

• Early warning indicators• Indicators of stresses on the

system• Measures of the current state

of industry• Measures of tourism

development sustainability impacts• Measures of management effort• Measures of management effects

INDICATORS MEASURE

Impacts

Outcomes Outputs

Impact type vs. Indicator type

Environmental impacts

Social impacts

Economic impacts

Quantitative indicators

Qualitative indicators

IMPACT

Category indicesNormative indicatorsNominal indicatorsOpinion-based indicators

Raw dataRatioPercentage

TYPE OF INDICATOR TYPE OF MEASURE

Benefits of good performance indicators

Inform decision making

Measure progress, achievements, and

trends

Ensure legitimacy and accountability

Ensure consistency of

activities, outputs, outcomes and

impacts

Help assess project and staff

performance

Selecting effective tourism sustainability indicators

Consider set of key issues defined in

the scoping exercise

Use participatory approach to evaluate and

prioritise issues

Ensure input from all key stakeholders

Agreed list of key issues for which indicators can be

developed

Dissection of an sustainability issue into indicators

ISSUE COMPONENT

A

ISSUE

COMPONENT

F

ISSUE

COMPONENT

B

ISSU

E CO

MPO

NEN

TC

ISSUE

COMPONENT

D

ISSUE COMPONENT

E

ISSUE

COM

PON

ENT

GISSUE

COMPONENT

H

ISSUE COMPONENT INDICATOR E1ISSUE COMPONENT INDICATOR E2ISSUE COMPONENT INDICATOR E3….

SUSTAINABILITY ISSUE

Example of tourism indicator development process for sustainability

INDICATORSCOMPONENTS OF ISSUE

KEY SUSTAINABILITY ISSUE

Environmental protection

Waste management

Number hotels with a recycling programme

Biodiversityprotection

Number of threatened or extinct species as

percentage of all known species

Perceived value of forest resources to

tourism

Don’t reinvent the wheel! Use and / or adapt existing indicators

Many organisations have already developed and refined useful indicators for monitoring tourism impacts on sustainability

World Tourism Organisation Indicator Guidebook

Pressure, State, Response Indicators

UNEP Environmental Indicators

IUCN Indicators of Resources Management

Example of environmental and economic sustainability indicators in tourism

ENVIRONMENTAL Number of threatened or extinct species as percentage of all known speciesPerceived value of forest resources to tourismNumber of days tourists spend on nature tourism activities out of total number of days Number of hotels with environmental policyEnvironmental awareness campaigns conducted Number hotels recycling 25% or more of their waste productsDemand/supply ratio for waterNumber of hotels with 50% or more of total toilets as dual flush% of energy consumption from renewable resources

ECONOMIC Average wage rates in tourism jobs rural/ urbanNumber of local people employed in tourism (men and women)Revenues generated by tourism as % of all revenues generated in the community% of visitors who overnight in local tourist accommodation% of hotels with a majority local staff% of GDP provided by tourismChange in number of visitor arrivals Average tourist length of stay New tourism businesses as a percentage of all new businesses

Example of social and project / business sustainability indicators in tourism

SOCIAL % of tourism operators who provide day care to employees with children % of tourism operators who have commitments regarding equal gender opportunityWomen/men as a % of all tourism employment % women/men employees sent on training programmesSatisfaction with volume of tourists visiting the destination

PROJECT / BUSINESS PERFORMANCE

Sustainability Management Plan existsAll personnel receive periodic sustainability management training% of purchases of services and goods from local providers % of purchases that are fair trade purchases Number of facilities built using local material Code of conduct developed with local community% of women and local minority employees

Good practice in setting effective tourism indicators

Ensure indicators identify conditions or outputs of

tourism development

Ensure indicators are descriptive rather than evaluative

Ensure indicators are easy to measure

Ensure you start with only a few key variables

Tips for shortlisting indicators

RELEVANCE

COMPARABILITYCREDIBILITY

CLARITY

FEASIBILITY

Of the indicator to the selected issue

Of the information and reliability for users of the data And

understand-ability to users

Of obtaining and analysing the information

Over time and across jurisdictions or regions

Example of method to shortlist indicators

INDICATOR

RELEVANCE

CLARITY

CREDIBILITY

COMPARABILITY

FEASIBILITY

% of tourism operators who provide day care to employees with children

% of tourism operators who have commitments regarding equal gender opportunity Women/men as a % of all tourism employment

% women / men employees sent on training programmes

Satisfaction with volume of tourists visiting the destination

TOPIC 4. IMPLEMENTING, ADAPTING & IMPROVING A MONITORING PROGRAMME


Picture source:http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:AN_LAC_CAVES_ROWING_BOATS_NORTHERN_VIETNAM_FEB_2012_(6973865371).jpg

The 4 key steps in implementing a tourism sustainability monitoring programme

1. Assess feasibility & data collection methods 2. Collect & analyse data 3. Communicate results 4. Review & improve

• Data components• Sources of data• Responsibilities• Collection methods

• Collection• Analysis

• Styles of communication

• Methods of communication

• Review• Improve

Image sources: Pixabay, http://pixabay.com/

1. Assessing programme feasibility and data collection methods

DATA COMPONENTS

• Range of data sets required

SOURCES OF DATA

• Primary• Secondary

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Data collection• Data analysis• Data manipulation• Data validation

COLLECTION METHODS

• Questionnaires / interviews

• Visitor book• Observation• Focus group meetings

Dissect indicators to identify data components required for collection

Identify the range of data sets required to make an assessment of an indicatorExample:

% of hotels in a destination who employ a majority of local staff

Employment data for each hotel indicating % local and % migrant workers

Data on the total number of hotels in the destination

SOCIAL INDICATOR DATA SETS REQUIRED

Appropriate selection of data sources

• Where will the data for monitoring progress come from?• Provides a chance to consider information availability and

accessibility

PRIMARYDATA

• Interviews• Surveys• Observation

Cost of collection

Availability

Accessibility

Timeliness

SECONDARYDATA

• Reports• Documents

?

?

??

Tips for assessing the value of secondary source information

Who is the organisation?

Are they biased?

Are the rules of sampling followed?

Are there well defined units of measurement?

Is the data accurate?

Is it authorised?

Is it pertinent to

the problem?

Adapted from: Goeldner, C. & Brent Ritchie, J. 2009, Tourism: Principles, Practices, Philosophies,

John Wiley & Sons, USA

Assigning responsibilities

Who will…

…collect the data

…create the data tables

…analyse the data

…conduct additional data manipulation

…validate / verify the

data

LOCAL SCHOOLS &

UNIVERSITIES

TOURISM OPERATORS

LOCAL COMMUNITY

VISITORS

FIELD STAFF

??

?

?

?

2. Selecting appropriate data collection methods in tourism

Focus-groupmeetings

Overall conditions& impacts of tourism

Requires careful selection & moderation

Visitor booksVisitors’

experiencesMay not be

statistically valid

Questionnaires & interviews

Insight into opinions and actions

Careful sample selection requiredRequires research

expertiseObservation Overview of a situationGauge success or failure of actionsEvidential

Picture sources:Pixabay, http://pixabay.com/

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Tips in writing effective surveys

• Not everyone is familiar with technical termsAvoid jargon

• The survey should be easy to read and understand by the majority of peopleUse simple language

• Ensure questions cannot be interpreted in more than one wayAvoid ambiguity

• Don’t try to influence answers by the way you make the questionAvoid leading questions

• Combining 2 questions together can result in only 1 being effectively answered

Ask one question at a time

Poorly written survey questions

TIP BAD PRACTICE GOOD PRACTICE

Avoid jargon Are you visiting for VFR purposes?

…?

Use simple language

What is the frequency of utilisation of retail travel agents?

…?

Avoid ambiguity

Do you visit attractions often? …?

Avoid leading questions

Are you against the extension of the airport?

…?


Have you visited the tourist information centre, and if so what do you think of the service?

…?

Survey questions following good practice

TIP BAD PRACTICE GOOD PRACTICE

Avoid jargon Are you visiting for VFR purposes?

Are you here to visit friends and / or relatives?

Use simple language

What is the frequency of utilisation of retail travel agents?

How often do you use travel agents?

Avoid ambiguity

Do you visit attractions often? Which of the following attractions have you visited in the last 6 months?

Avoid leading questions

Are you against the extension of the airport?

What is your opinion on the extension of the airport? Are you for it, against it, or not concerned?


Have you visited the tourist information centre, and if so what do you think of the service?

Have you visited the tourist information centre? Yes / No (if yes, proceed to Q2)How satisfied were you with the service you received there? (provide rating scale)

$ $The STCRC’s tips for reducing

data collection costs

• Use existing collection instruments

• Prepare well your data collection

• Limit and pre test questions

Adapted from: Carson, D., Richards, F. & Tremblay, P. (undated), Local level data collection: ‘Know your patch’ kit, Sustainable Tourism Cooperative Research Centre, Australia

• Get stakeholder support beforehand

• Use innovative ways in data collection

• Start small

Principles in good data analysis

• The first “foundation” study from which future studies follow

BASELINES

• Comparison of data against baseline

• Can also use industry averages

BENCHMARKS• Helps establish if

results are positive or negative in local situation

LIMITS OF ACCEPTABLE CHANGE

(THRESHOLDS)

Effective monitoring systems often incorporate at a number of different tools to assist in the analysis of results:

Examples of baselines, benchmarks and thresholds

Establishing a baseline• A survey was conducted in 2014 which

established that 15% of households in a village had running water

• This forms the baseline for household access to running water in the destination

Using a benchmark• In 2015 a repeat survey was conducted

which recorded that 25% of households had running water

• This shows a positive change of 10% against the Year 1 baseline

Comparing to thresholds• In terms of access to running water,

anything less than 100% requires action• If however, the study was of the amount

of protected forest in a community, 40% might be an acceptable target depending on the year 1 benchmark

Example: Acceptable thresholds of change for a national sustainable tourism programme in Samoa

INDICATOR RESULT THRESHOLD PERFORMANCEENVIRONMENTAL

% of new hotels undertaking environmental impact assessments 33% 90-100% V.POOR

% of hotels using secondary or tertiary sewage treatment 8% 30-50% V.POOR % of tourists participating in nature tourism 8% 20-40% V.POOR% of tourist sites passing water quality tests 50% 70-90% POOR

% of hotels composting their biodegradable waste 76% 60-80% ACCEPTABLE

Water usage per guest night in hotels (in litres) 928 500-1000 ACCEPTABLE

ECONO

MIC

Contribution of direct tourism businesses to GDP 4% 10-20% POOR

Proportion of new businesses focused on tourism 4% 10-20% POORProportion of hotel jobs in rural areas 48% 40-60% ACCEPTABLE

SOCIAL

Hotel staff participating in training courses 27% 25-50% ACCEPTABLE

Villages included in tourism awareness programmes 28% 25-50% ACCEPTABLE

Proportion of traditional events in Tourism Festivals 50% 50-70% ACCEPTABLEProportion of handicraft stalls out of all stalls in markets 21% 20-40% ACCEPTABLETourism operators informing visitors of village protocol 72% 50-70% GOOD

Source: SNV Vietnam & the University of Hawaii, School of Travel Industry Management 2007, A Toolkit for Monitoring and Managing Community-based Tourism, SNV Vietnam & the University of Hawaii, USA

3. Communicating tourism impacts monitoring programme results

• There is no point in doing a monitoring programme if no one finds out about the results

• Stakeholders and decision makers need to hear about the results so they can take action

• Results should presented to help stakeholders reinforce positive actions or remedy problem situations

Consider the needs of the

potential user

Portray the results as simply

as possible

PRINCIPLES IN COMMUNICATING RESULTS

Options for getting the message out

Meetings and workshopsProvide an analysis of the monitoring programme results in a practical and “hands-on” workshop or meeting. It also in-depth analysis and detailed clarification of issues.

Newsletters & reportsProvide details of the results within the organisation newsletter or alternatively create a newsletter specifically for communicating the results. Include results in the organisation’s annual report.

WebsiteCreate a section on the organisation’s website that provides details of the progress being made in sustainability performance.

EmailDeliver information about the sustainability monitoring program directly into the mailbox of the stakeholders. Coming from senior management can add a level of authority. Quick and direct.

Picture sources:Pixabay, http://pixabay.com/

4. Adapting and improving the tourism impacts monitoring programme

• Situations change so regular reviews should take place to ensure the monitoring programme remains effective and meaningful

• Review of successes and failures should be conducted by the steering committee after each campaign

• Consult stakeholders to obtain opinions on data usefulness and strategies for improvement

UNWTO checklist of issues in the re-evaluation indicator effectiveness 1/2

Are the indicators being used (by whom and how?)

Which indicators are not being used? Do the users find the current set useful? Do users now have other needs? Are there new potential users? Are the indicators in the right form, or are

other output forms now needed? Are there new means to collect or analyse

data for the indicators which might make production easier or more efficient?

Assessment of indicator effectiveness

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UNWTO checklist of issues in the re-evaluation indicator effectiveness 2/2

Are there new issues which have arisen and which require indicators?

Is information now available which could permit indicators which were too difficult to produce, but which were seen as important, to be added?

Is there evidence of outcomes which have been influenced by indicators use?

What are the barriers, if any, which have prevented optimal use of the indicators?

Assessment of indicator effectiveness

Xin trân trọng cảm ơn!Thank you!

Unit 8: Responsible Tourism Impact Monitoring For Sustainability

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Transcript of Unit 8: Responsible Tourism Impact Monitoring For Sustainability